Pro-animal does not mean anti-human, say activists

Animal rights activists in the city on Monday demanded that the draft Animal Welfare Act submitted by the Animal Welfare Board of India to the Ministry of Environment and Forests be made a law to prevent instances of cruelty towards animals in the country.

On Monday evening, activists conducted a public meeting and rally at Jantar Mantar to demand the act's enactment and to condemn the operation of ill-maintained animal pounds in several Indian cities.

Prominent artists, professionals and animal rights activists attended the rally and public meeting which was followed by performances by several musicians. The rally was organised by United for Animals, an umbrella group of organisations working for welfare of animals in solidarity. Among those who attended the event were activists Swami Agnivesh and Ambika Shukla and journalists M J Akbar, Vinod Mehta and Hiranmoy Karlekar.

"Animal rights movement in India needed mainstreaming," said Rukmini Sekhar, one of the speakers at the rally. "While we are involved in our little rescues and other activities, we must also pick one larger issue and mainstream the animal rights movement," she said.

Apart from new legislation, activists demanded strengthening of existing legislations and use of non-animal alternatives in experimentation in the country. The formation of a new organisation called 'For Animals' was also announced at the rally.

The performances which followed the public meeting saw performances by bands Parikrama and Advaita, along with Rahul Ram of Indian Ocean.

"Animal rights activism in India often forgets to address the man-animal conflict," said Rishi Dev, one of the organisers and a member of Citizens for Animal Rights. "The issue is not just of animal rights but also ways to to end the man-animal conflict. We need to make people understand that pro-animal does not mean anti-human," he said.

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